Remote Control Activation Based on Predicted Events

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for predicting trigger events, such as an advertisement during a video program, and activating a remote control device in response to the prediction are described. By activating the remote control device at a particular time, the remote control device may save energy when listening for data from one or more terminal devices. The time to activate the remote control may be based on one or more factors, including the current presentation position and/or presentation speed of the video program. A remote control device may take additional actions the next time it listens for data, including illuminating backlights, turning on a display, displaying content on the display, interacting with other devices, etc.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/404,158, filed May 6, 2019, and entitled REMOTE CONTROL ACTIVATIONBASED ON PREDICTED EVENTS, now allowed, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/840,488, filed Dec. 13, 2017, andentitled REMOTE CONTROL ACTIVATION BASED PREDICTED EVENTS (now U.S. Pat.No. 10,284,805), which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 15/055,923, filed Feb. 29, 2016, and entitled REMOTE CONTROLACTIVATION BASED ON PREDICTED EVENTS (now U.S. Pat. No. 9,883,132),which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/804,559,filed Mar. 14, 2013, and entitled REMOTE CONTROL ACTIVATION BASED ONPREDICTED EVENTS (now U.S. Pat. No. 9,313,440). The prior applicationsare hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

Portable television remote controls are typically powered by batterieswith limited life spans. Some remote controls can receive informationfrom external devices, such as televisions or set-top boxes. In order tosave battery life, remote controls can poll for information fromexternal devices at predefined times. For example, a remote controlmight only listen for information only immediately after the user hasused the remote control to send a command. One problem with thissolution is that external devices may desire to send information to theremote control even when the remote control is not being used by theuser. Another solution is for the remote control to listen forinformation at predefined intervals (e.g., every 5 minutes, 20 minutes).If the predefined interval is too short, however, the remote controlbattery may drain too quickly. If the predefined interval is too long,the remote control may miss information transmitted by external devicesor receive information that is too old if the external device buffersthe information until the remote polls it.

SUMMARY

This summary is not intended to identify critical or essential featuresof the disclosures herein, but instead merely summarizes certainfeatures and variations thereof. Other details and features will also bedescribed in the sections that follow.

In one aspect, provided is a system that improves the lifespan of aremote control device's power source (such as a battery) by moreefficiently listening for data from terminal devices based onpredictions of trigger events, such as the start of a commercial. Someof the various features described herein relate to a method ofactivating a remote control device based on predicted events, such asthe start of a commercial and/or a system, computer readable medium,and/or apparatus configured to perform the method.

A method described herein may comprise identifying a content item, suchas a television program, being presented by a device, such as a terminaldevice. A computing device may determine a time for a remote controldevice (e.g., a television remote control, mobile phone, etc.), whichmay be configured to operate with the terminal device, to transitionfrom a standby state to an active state. During the active state, theremote control device may be configured to listen for data from theterminal device. The determining may be based in part on an estimate ofa presentation time of a trigger event occurring during presentation ofthe content item, which may comprise the time of a commercial and/or astart time of a television commercial presented during presentation ofthe television program. The method may further comprise transmitting, tothe remote control device, identification of the determined time for theremote control device to transition from the standby state to the activestate.

In some aspects, determining the time for the remote control device totransition from the standby state to the active state may be based on acurrent presentation time of the content item and the estimate of thepresentation time of the trigger event. Furthermore, the content itemmay comprise an episode of a television program, and the estimate of thepresentation time of the trigger event may be based on the time of atrigger event occurring in at least one previous episode of thetelevision program. Additionally or alternatively, determining the timefor the remote control device to transition from the standby state tothe active state may further be based on a current presentation speed ofthe content item being presented by the terminal device.

Various actions may be taken by the terminal device, remote controldevice, or other computing device at the determined time for the remotecontrol device to transition from the standby state to the active state.For example, a command to illuminate a backlight of the remote controldevice may be transmitted to the remote control device. The presentationtime of the trigger event may comprise the start time of anadvertisement and/or commercial presented during presentation of thecontent item. The content item may comprise a video program. At thedetermined time for the remote control device to transition from thestandby state to the active state, advertisement data that supplementsthe presented advertisement may be transmitted to the remote controldevice. Additionally or alternatively, it may be determined whetherpresentation of the commercial has started at the determined time forthe remote control device to transition from the standby state to theactive state. If the presentation of the commercial has started, datafor generating a second commercial on a display of the remote controldevice may be transmitted to the remote control device. If thepresentation of the commercial has not started, a second time for theremote control device to transition from the standby state to the activestate based on a new estimate of the presentation time of the commercialmay be determined.

A method described herein may comprise receiving, at a communicationdevice (e.g., a two-way communication device), identification of a timefor the communication device to transition from a standby state to anactive state. The communication device may be configured to listen fordata from a terminal device during the active state. The communicationdevice may store the identification of the time to transition from thestandby state to the active state. At the identified time, thecommunication device may transition from the standby state to the activestate, and after transitioning to the active state, the communicationdevice may listen for data from the terminal device. The communicationdevice may be configured to transmit a request for data to the terminaldevice prior to listening for data from the terminal device during theactive state.

In some aspects, the communication device may comprise at least one of adevice configured to function as a television remote control and amobile phone configured to control presentation of content on theterminal device. A backlight of the communication device may beilluminated at the identified time. Additionally or alternatively, thedevice may receive supplemental data from the terminal device whilelistening for data from the terminal device, and the supplemental datamay be displayed on a display of the communication device. Thesupplemental data may correspond to an advertisement presented on adisplay of the terminal device.

In some aspects, prior to receiving identification of the time for thecommunication device to transition from the standby state to the activestate (the second time), the communication device may have previouslytransitioned from the standby state to the active state (the firsttime). Furthermore, the receiving of the identification of the time mayoccur while the communication device is in the active state the firsttime. After storing the identification of the time to transition fromthe standby state to the active state, the communication device maytransition from the active state back to the standby state to savepower. The transition that occurs prior to the receiving step may be inresponse to user actuation of a button on the communication device.

In some aspects, the communication device may receive a command from auser that modifies a presentation speed of a content item presented on adisplay of the terminal device. In response to receiving the command,the communication device may transmit a message to recalculate the timefor the communication device to transition from the standby state to theactive state.

A method described herein may comprise determining, by a computingdevice, when an advertisement is scheduled to be presented relative to asegment of a video program presented by a terminal device. A time for auser device to listen for data from the terminal device may be set to beone of the start time and the end time of the advertisement. The timefor the user device to listen for data may be transmitted to the userdevice. While the user device is listening for data from the terminaldevice, data corresponding to the advertisement may be transmitted fromthe terminal device to the user device. This data may be used togenerate a display of a second advertisement on a display of the userdevice.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some features herein are illustrated by way of example, and not by wayof limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and in whichlike reference numerals refer to similar elements.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example information access and distributionnetwork.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example hardware and software platform on whichvarious elements described herein can be implemented.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example method of listening for data from aterminal device according to one or more illustrative aspects of thedisclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example method of determining the next time tolisten for data from the terminal device based on a predicted eventaccording to one or more illustrative aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example method of listening for data from theterminal device at the determined next time to listen according to oneor more illustrative aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 6 shows a graphical representation of a previous episode havingcommercials.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates an example information access and distributionnetwork 100 on which many of the various features described herein maybe implemented. Network 100 may be any type of information distributionnetwork, such as satellite, telephone, cellular, wireless, etc. Oneexample may be an optical fiber network, a coaxial cable network or ahybrid fiber/coax (HFC) distribution network. Such networks 100 use aseries of interconnected communication links 101 (e.g., coaxial cables,optical fibers, wireless connections, etc.) to connect multiplepremises, such as homes 102, to a local office (e.g., a central officeor headend 103). The local office 103 may transmit downstreaminformation signals onto the links 101, and each home 102 may have areceiver used to receive and process those signals.

There may be one link 101 originating from the local office 103, and itmay be split a number of times to distribute the signal to various homes102 in the vicinity (which may be many miles) of the local office 103.Although the term home is used by way of example, locations 102 may beany type of user premises, such as businesses, institutions, etc. Thelinks 101 may include components not illustrated, such as splitters,filters, amplifiers, etc. to help convey the signal clearly. Portions ofthe links 101 may also be implemented with fiber-optic cable, whileother portions may be implemented with coaxial cable, other links, orwireless communication paths.

The local office 103 may include an interface 104, which may be atermination system (TS), such as a cable modem termination system(CMTS), which may be a computing device configured to managecommunications between devices on the network of links 101 and backenddevices such as servers 105-107 (to be discussed further below). Theinterface 104 may be as specified in a standard, such as, in an exampleof an HFC-type network, the Data Over Cable Service InterfaceSpecification (DOCSIS) standard, published by Cable TelevisionLaboratories, Inc. (a.k.a. CableLabs), or it may be a similar ormodified device instead. The interface 104 may be configured to placedata on one or more downstream channels or frequencies to be received bydevices, such as modems at the various homes 102, and to receiveupstream communications from those modems on one or more upstreamfrequencies. The local office 103 may also include one or more networkinterfaces 108, which can permit the local office 103 to communicatewith various other external networks 109. These networks 109 mayinclude, for example, networks of Internet devices, telephone networks,cellular telephone networks, fiber optic networks, local wirelessnetworks (e.g., WiMAX), satellite networks, and any other desirednetwork, and the network interface 108 may include the correspondingcircuitry needed to communicate on the network 109, and to other deviceson the network such as a cellular telephone network and itscorresponding cell phones (e.g., cell phone 117).

As noted above, the local office 103 may include a variety of servers105-107 that may be configured to perform various functions. Forexample, the local office 103 may include a push notification server105. The push notification server 105 may generate push notifications todeliver data and/or commands to the various homes 102 in the network (ormore specifically, to the devices in the homes 102 that are configuredto detect such notifications). The local office 103 may also include adata server 106. The data server 106 may be one or more computingdevices that are configured to provide data to users in the homes. Thisdata may be, for example, video on demand movies, television programs,songs, text listings, etc. The data server 106 may include software tovalidate user identities and entitlements, locate and retrieve requesteddata, encrypt the data, and initiate delivery (e.g., streaming) of thedata to the requesting user and/or device.

The local office 103 may also include one or more application servers107. An application server 107 may be a computing device configured tooffer any desired service, and may run various languages and operatingsystems (e.g., servlets and JSP pages running on Tomcat/MySQL, OSX, BSD,Ubuntu, Redhat, HTML5, JavaScript, AJAX and COMET). For example, anapplication server may be responsible for collecting data such astelevision program listings information and generating a data downloadfor electronic program guide listings. Another application server may beresponsible for monitoring user viewing habits and collecting thatinformation for use in selecting advertisements. Another applicationserver may be responsible for formatting and inserting advertisements ina video stream being transmitted to the homes 102.

An example home 102 a may include an interface 120. The interface maycomprise a device 110, such as a modem, which may include transmittersand receivers used to communicate on the links 101 and with the localoffice 103. The device 110 may be, for example, a coaxial cable modem(for coaxial cable links 101), a fiber interface node (for fiber opticlinks 101), or any other desired modem device. The device 110 may beconnected to, or be a part of, a gateway interface device 111. Thegateway interface device 111 may be a computing device that communicateswith the device 110 to allow one or more other devices in the home tocommunicate with the local office 103 and other devices beyond the localoffice. The gateway 111 may be a set-top box (STB), digital videorecorder (DVR), computer server, or any other desired computing device.The gateway 111 may also include (not shown) local network interfaces toprovide communication signals to devices in the home, such astelevisions 112, additional STBs 113, personal computers 114, laptopcomputers 115, wireless devices 116 (wireless laptops and netbooks,mobile phones, mobile televisions, personal digital assistants (PDA),etc.), and any other desired devices. Examples of the local networkinterfaces include Multimedia Over Coax Alliance (MoCA) interfaces,Ethernet interfaces, universal serial bus (USB) interfaces, wirelessinterfaces (e.g., IEEE 802.11), Bluetooth interfaces, and others.

The devices in the home also include a remote control device havingtwo-way communication capabilities. In general, two-way communicationdevices may both receive and transmit data. The remote control devicemay comprise a television remote control configured to transmit data toa terminal device (e.g., an STB, DVR, television, etc.) and also receivedata from the terminal device (or other terminal devices). For example,the remote control device may transmit data to a terminal device andreceive data from the same terminal device. Additionally oralternatively, the remote control device may transmit data and receivedata from different terminal devices (e.g., transmit data to atelevision and receive data from an STB).

The wireless devices 116 (e.g., a mobile phone) may function as theremote control device. A mobile phone may be programmed to transmitdata, such as commands, to the terminal device (e.g., an STB) and alsoreceive data, such as content or return commands, from the terminaldevice (or other terminal devices). For example, the mobile phone mayinclude an application configured to generate a display of a remotecontrol interface. The display may be similar to the interface of atelevision remote control, (e.g., having up/down/left/right buttons, anumber pad, a settings button, etc.). One or more advertisements mayalso be generated and displayed on a display of the mobile phone ortelevision remote control.

The remote control device (e.g., the television remote control, mobilephone, or other portable device) may communicate with the terminaldevice using a local network (e.g., a wireless connection, such as RF orIR, or wired connection in the home 102 a), an external network (e.g., acellular network, a fiber optic network, a coaxial network, etc.), orany combination thereof. For example, the remote control device maytransmit user-generated commands to the STB using an IR or RF link inthe home 102 a. Alternatively, the remote control device may transmitthe command to an external computing device configured to process and/oract on the command using an external link, such as a cellular network.The external computing device may subsequently cause the terminal deviceto act on the command (e.g., switch channels, display a menu, changeuser interface settings, etc.) by communicating with the terminal deviceusing the same external link (e.g., cellular link) or another externalnetwork link (e.g., fiber optic link, coaxial link, etc.).

FIG. 2 illustrates general hardware and software elements that can beused to implement any of the various computing devices (e.g., terminaldevices, remote control devices, etc.) discussed herein. The computingdevice 200 may include one or more processors 201, which may executeinstructions of a computer program to perform any of the featuresdescribed herein. The instructions may be stored in any type ofcomputer-readable medium or memory, to configure the operation of theprocessor 201. For example, instructions may be stored in a read-onlymemory (ROM) 202, random access memory (RAM) 203, hard drive, removablemedia 204, such as a Universal Serial Bus (USB) drive, compact disk (CD)or digital versatile disk (DVD), floppy disk drive, or any other desiredelectronic storage medium. Instructions may also be stored in anattached (or internal) hard drive 205. The computing device 200 mayinclude one or more output devices, such as a display 206 (or anexternal television), and may include one or more output devicecontrollers 207, such as a video processor. There may also be one ormore user input devices 208, such as a remote control, keyboard, mouse,touch screen, microphone, etc. The computing device 200 may also includeone or more network interfaces, such as input/output circuits 209 (suchas a network card) to communicate with an external network 210. Thenetwork interface may be a wired interface, wireless interface, or acombination of the two. In some embodiments, the interface 209 mayinclude a modem (e.g., a cable modem), and network 210 may include thecommunication links 101 discussed above, the external network 109, anin-home network, a provider's wireless, coaxial, fiber, or hybridfiber/coaxial distribution system (e.g., a DOCSIS network), or any otherdesired network.

The system and methods described herein may be used to schedule the nexttime a remote control device should listen for data from one or moreterminal devices. The scheduled time may correspond to the occurrence orpredicted occurrence of a trigger event, such as the start of anadvertisement during presentation (e.g., playback) of a content item,such as a video program. The scheduled time may be determined based onone or more factors, such as the current presentation position andpresentation speed of the video program, an estimate of the presentationposition of the next trigger event, and/or the confidence that thetrigger event will occur at the estimated presentation position.Alternatively, if the time of the trigger event is known, the remotecontrol device may listen for data at or near that known time. Inaddition to listening for data, the remote control device may takeadditional actions at the scheduled time, such as illuminatingbacklights, activating a display, buffering content, displaying contenton the display, interacting with other devices, etc.

One benefit of the concepts described herein includes the ability topredict when users might use the remote control device (e.g., pressingmute during presentation of an advertisement) and facilitate convenientuse of the remote control device, such as by illuminating backlights forbuttons that the user might use. Furthermore, the battery life of theremote control device may be extended by selectively activating theremote control device rather than activating the remote at predefinedintervals (e.g., 5 minutes, 20 minutes). An additional benefit includesthe ability to display content that has been transmitted from a terminaldevice on a display of the remote control device. For example, a secondadvertisement that supplements the advertisement displayed by theterminal device may be displayed on the remote control device.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example method of listening for data from aterminal device according to one or more illustrative aspects of thedisclosure. The steps illustrated in FIG. 3 may be performed, forexample, by a remote control device or other user device. In step 305,the settings for the system for configuring the remote control device tolisten for data based on predicted events may be configured. Remotecontrol device states may be determined; the states including an activestate, a standby state, an off state, or any other intermediate state.In the active state, the remote control device may be configured to bothtransmit data to terminal devices and receive (e.g., listen for) datafrom terminal devices. For example, a transceiver configured to transmitdata and receive data may be active or otherwise powered/turned on inthe active state. If separate transmitter(s) and/or receiver(s) are usedto communicate with terminal devices, those transmitter(s) and/orreceiver(s) may be activated so that the remote control device can bothsend and receive data.

The remote control device may listen for (or otherwise receive) datafrom one or more terminal devices via one or more communicationinterfaces and/or communication links. The remote control device mayalso request data from one or more terminal devices prior to listeningfor data. The remote control device may have a radio frequency (RF)transceiver and/or receiver interface and listen for RF signals usingthat interface. The remote control device may have an infrared (IR)transceiver and/or receiver interface and listen for data over IRcommunication links. The remote control device may have a cellularnetwork (e.g., GSM, CDMA, GPRS, UMTS, LTE, and the like) transceiverand/or receiver interface and listen for data over the cellular networkusing the interface. The remote control device may have a wireless localarea network (WLAN, such as any of the IEEE 802.11 standards)transceiver and/or receiver interface and listen for data over WLANand/or other wireless interfaces (e.g., WiMax, Bluetooth, etc.). Otherexamples of wireless communication links between the remote controldevice and terminal devices include, but are not limited to, visiblelight links (e.g., use of cameras that are configured to capture visiblelight and/or pictures), audio links (e.g., communication using sound,which may be audible or inaudible, such as ultrasonic sound waves), andnear field communication (NFC). The remote control device and one ormore terminal devices may also communicate using wired communicationinterfaces and/or communication links. Examples include, but are notlimited to, power line communication (e.g., HomePlug), communicationover coaxial or other cables (e.g., communications using the Multimediaover Coax Alliance (MoCA) standard), communication over Ethernet, andcommunications using Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification(DOCSIS).

Optionally, backlights on the remote control device, such as indicatorlights and/or lights used to illuminate buttons or displays, may beactivated in the active state. For example, one or more display screens(which may include touchscreen capabilities), may be turned on orotherwise illuminated. If the remote control device has dedicatedbacklights for buttons, a set of backlights may be turned on, whereas adifferent set of backlights may be turned off in the active state. Forexample, and as will be discussed in further detail in the examplesbelow, the backlight(s) for the fast forward button, the electronicprogram guide button, the number pad, volume button(s), the mutebuttons, and/or the channel up/down button(s) may be illuminated. On theother hand, the power button, the settings button, and/or the playbutton might not be illuminated during the active state. Backlight ordisplay brightness may also be adjusted. For example, the mute buttonmay be set to 100% of its maximum brightness (or some lower level ofbrightness, such as 80%), whereas the power button may be set to 0% ofits maximum brightness (i.e., off) or some slightly higher level ofbrightness, such as 20%. In general, the buttons that a user is expectedto use during the trigger event (e.g., a commercial) may be brighterthan buttons the user is not expected to use during the trigger event.The backlights may also be configured to flash a few times (e.g., 2times, 3 times) prior to entering the active state or at the beginningof the active state. Optionally, a vibrator in the remote control device(e.g., a vibration motor) may vibrate just prior to or at the beginningof the active state. Similarly, the remote control device may countdown, beep, or generate any other audible sound just prior to or at thebeginning of the active state.

The remote control device may also be configured for multiple activestates, depending on the type of event predicted to occur in the future.As will be described in further detail in the examples below, triggerevents may include a commercial, product placement occurring duringpresentation of a video program, and/or a calendar event. A differenttype of active state may be assigned to each type of trigger event. Forexample, if the trigger event is the presentation of a commercial, theremote control device may activate a receiver or transceiver to receivedata that supplements the commercial from terminal devices and/orilluminate one or more buttons in a first active state. If the triggerevent is a product placement, the remote control device may activate areceiver or transceiver to receive data related to the product (e.g., alink to go to a website for the product) and/or activate a display onthe remote control device to display the link in a second active state.If the trigger event is a calendar event (e.g., a scheduled time for theuser to watch a television program with a friend), the remote controldevice may activate a receiver or transceiver to receive a live camerafeed from a camera at the user's front door or other external device(e.g., if the user is expecting the friend to show up) in a third activestate. The receiver or transceiver configured to receive a camera feedfrom a camera may, but need not be, different from the receiver ortransceiver configured to receive data that supplements a commercialfrom a terminal device.

The type of active state that the remote control device enters into mayalso depend on the likelihood (e.g., based on a confidence factor) thatthe trigger event will occur at the predicted time. If the likelihoodthat the trigger event will occur is greater than a threshold (e.g.,50%), the remote control device may enter a first active state. Forexample, backlights may be at 80% of their maximum brightness in thefirst active state. If the likelihood is less than a threshold, theremote control device may enter a second, different active state. Forexample, backlights may be at 40% of their maximum brightness in thesecond active state. Which active state the remote control device entersinto may also depend on what commercial is predicted to be presentedduring presentation of the video program and/or based on the channelthat a terminal device, such as an STB, is presently tuned to. Thepreviously-described trigger events and/or active states are includedmerely as examples. Numerous other trigger events and/or types of activestates may be used, as will be described in further detail in theexamples below.

In the standby state, the remote control device may deactivate (e.g.,turn off) certain functionalities to save battery life. For example, theremote control device might not be configured to listen for (orotherwise receive) data from terminal devices. A transceiver in theremote control device may be turned off or placed in a low power stateto prevent the remote control device from listening for data. Turningoff the transceiver may also (optionally) prevent the remote controldevice from transmitting information during the standby state. However,when a physical or virtual button is actuated (e.g., pressed) by a user,the remote control device may still register the button press. If theremote control device includes a microphone configured to receive voicecommands from the user, the microphone may be kept active and the remotecontrol device may register voice commands during the standby state. Insome embodiments, the microphone may be deactivated, such that theremote control device does not receive and/or process voice commands butdoes receive and/or process button actuations during the standby state.A backlight indicating to users that the microphone is on and that theremote control device can receive voice commands may be illuminated ineither the active state or the standby state. The remote control devicemay also be configured to sense physical movement of the remote controldevice using, for example, an accelerometer.

After registering the button press, voice command, and/or sensingmovement of the remote control device, the remote control device maytransition from the standby state to the active state to transmit thecorresponding command to a terminal device or perform any other action.Alternatively, if separate transmitter(s) and/or receiver(s) are used tocommunicate with terminal devices, the transmitter(s) may be activatedso that the remote control device may transmit data during the standbymode. On the other hand, the receiver(s) may be deactivated so that theremote control device may be prevented from receiving data. In someaspects, both the transmitter(s) and receiver(s) may be turned off inthe standby state.

Optionally, the backlights of the remote control device (or displays onthe remote) may be selectively turned on or off in the standby state.For example, all of the backlights and/or displays may be turned off ordimmed. Alternatively, one set of certain backlights, displays, orregions of displays may be turned off or dimmed, whereas a different setof backlights, displays, or regions of displays may be turned on orbrightened. For example, backlights for the number pad, the EPG button,the channel up/down buttons, and/or the remote control device displaymay be turned off or dimmed, whereas the backlight for the volumeup/down buttons may be turned on or brightened. In general, the buttonsthat a user is expected to use during the standby state (e.g., duringpresentation of a video program) may be brighter than buttons the useris not expected to use during the standby state.

The remote control device may be configured for other states, such as anoff state. The remote control device may enter an off state if an offswitch that shuts down power to the device is actuated. In general, theremote control device may consume less power when it is off than when itis in the standby state. In some aspects, the remote control devicemight not register user actions (e.g., movement of the remote controldevice and/or user actuation of a button/display) on the remote controldevice during the off state. In other aspects, the remote control devicemay register some user actions (e.g., user actuation of abutton/display), but not other user actions (e.g., sensing movement ofthe remote control device using an accelerometer). In other words, theremote control device may deactivate external sensors, such as anaccelerometer, while leaving other sensors, such as a tactile orpressure sensor for a physical button, activated. This may be beneficialif energy from physical button presses is harvested.

Other parameters for the remote control device may be set in theconfiguration step 305. For example, the time for the remote controldevice to begin listening for data from terminal devices may be setrelative to a predicted start time of a trigger event (e.g., acommercial, product placement occurring during the video program, suchas a particular brand of soda appearing in a television show, etc.), apredetermined time before the start of the trigger event (e.g., fiveseconds before the commercial is predicted to start), a predeterminedtime after the start of the trigger event, the predicted end time of thetrigger event, the start of the video program after presentation of acommercial ends, etc.

Furthermore, the types of actions taken by the remote control deviceafter transitioning from the standby state to the active state (or viceversa) may be defined. For example, after transitioning from the standbyto active states, the remote control device may listen for data fromterminal devices, turn on/off backlights, activate a microphone, play asound, brighten/dim backlights, adjust backlight colors, displaysupplemental advertisements, and/or a combination of actions. In orderto carry out these actions, the remote control device may transitionfrom the active to standby states (or vice versa).

By configuring in step 305, the system of listening for data based onpredicted events may be enabled or disabled. If the system is enabled,the remote control device may be configured to transition between theactive, standby, and other states as previously discussed. If the systemis disabled, the remote control device may remain in one state (e.g.,active state or standby state), even if a commercial or other triggerevent is predicted to occur. The remote control device may be configuredto perform certain default actions if the system is disabled. Forexample, the remote control device may listen for data at periodicintervals (e.g., every 10 seconds) or only after the user uses theremote control device.

Configuration may occur at any time, and the user can trigger theconfiguration. The user may use the remote control device, the terminaldevice (e.g., an STB), or a combination thereof to configure orreconfigure the remote control. For example, the remote control devicemay have physical or virtual configuration settings buttons that allowthe user to adjust the configuration of the remote control device.Additionally or alternatively, a menu may be displayed on the terminaldevice (or a display device connected thereto) or on the remote controldevice itself. The user may configure the remote control device bynavigating the menu. The configuration may be stored in a user's accountor profile, which may be stored locally or on a network (e.g., in thecloud). The configuration data may be pushed automatically to any newremote control device that the user users or otherwise brings online.

In step 310, the remote control device may initiate the standby state.The remote control device may enter the standby state after remotecontrol device has been configured or a predetermined time thereafter(e.g., 10 seconds). Additionally or alternatively, the remote controldevice may enter the standby state after the remote control devicefinishes sending data, such as a command, to the terminal device or apredetermined time thereafter. As will be discussed in further detail inthe examples below, the remote control device may enter the standbystate after the remote control device has received informationindicating the next time that the remote control device should listenfor data.

In step 315, the remote control device may determine whether a user hasused the remote control device. The user may use the remote controldevice to issue commands (such as channel up, volume down, display EPG,mute, etc.), to a terminal device (such as an STB) and/or to use anyother functionalities of the remote control device. Additionally oralternatively, the remote control device may sense movement of theremote control device using, for example, an accelerometer or othermotion sensor. Based on detecting movement, the remote control devicemay determine that it has been used in step 315. If the remote controlis used (step 315: Y), the remote control device may initiate the activestate in step 320. As previously discussed, the remote control devicemay illuminate a backlight and/or turn on a receiver or transceiver tolisten for data from one or more terminal devices (in step 325) when ittransitions from the standby state to the active state. Instead ofpassively listening for data, the remote control device may transmit, tothe terminal device, a request for information, such as a poll request.The information received from the terminal device and/or in response tothe poll request may include the next time the remote control deviceshould listen for data. The information may include clock driftadjustment information to synchronize the remote control device's clockwith the terminal device's (or other external device's) clock. Theinformation may also include information identifying the content of thenext trigger event (e.g., the type of commercial, the product in thecommercial, the commercial name, etc.) if the information is known.

The remote control device may enter the active state at any time insteadof waiting for the remote control device to be used. As will bediscussed in further detail below with respect to FIGS. 4 and 5, theremote control device may receive information from a terminal deviceidentifying the next time the remote control device should listen fordata or otherwise enter the active state. The identified time maycorrespond to the time an advertisement is expected to be presentedduring presentation (e.g., playback) of a video program (e.g., abroadcast program, video on demand program, DVR program, etc.).Accordingly, the remote control device may initiate the active state (instep 320) at the start of the video program or some predetermined timeafter the start of the video program (e.g., 1 minute into the videoprogram), such as if a commercial typically plays just after the openingscenes of the program (e.g., a recap of a previous episode).Additionally or alternatively, the remote control device may enter theactive state (or otherwise poll for information from terminal devices)immediately (or a predetermined time) after the remote control devicehas been turned on, such as after the batteries of the remote controldevice have been inserted or replaced. The remote control device maysimilarly enter the active state at any predetermined time withoutwaiting for user input. For example, the remote control device couldpoll for information every few hours when it is not being heavily usedby the user, is out of range, is offline, etc.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example method of determining the next time forthe remote control device to listen for data from terminal devices basedon predicted events according to one or more illustrative aspects of thedisclosure. The steps illustrated in FIG. 4 may be performed by aterminal device that transmits data to the remote control device or anyother device associated with the terminal device that may be located atthe home 102, local office 103, and/or distributed among one or morelocations (e.g., in a cloud computing environment). For the sake ofbrevity, the steps illustrated in FIG. 4 will be described as beingperformed by a terminal device, which may physically comprise one ormore computing device.

In step 405, the content currently being accessed (e.g., received,displayed, or otherwise presented) by the terminal device may beidentified. For example, the terminal device may comprise STB 113 at theuser's home 102 a. STB 113 may be presenting, to the user, content(e.g., a video program, such as an episode of a television program)received from the local office 103 (e.g., a video on demand movie,television program, etc.) or any other content source (e.g., Internetservers or other network devices). The terminal device may identify thecontent item based on a program or packet identifier received with thecontent item, based on a textual description of the content item in anelectronic program guide (EPG) that lists the content item, based onprogram specific information including Program Association Tables (PATs)and Program Map Tables (PMTs) associated with programs transmitted tothe STB, based on content fingerprinting or watermarking, and/or basedon any other method of identifying the content item known to one ofordinary skill in the art.

In step 410, the terminal device may determine the current presentationposition (time) of the content item. The current presentation positionmay be measured relative to the start time of the content item. Forexample, if the user is 14 minutes and 20 seconds into an episode of atelevision program, the terminal device may determine that the currentpresentation time is 14 minutes and 20 seconds. The start of thetelevision program may be the baseline (i.e., 0 minutes).

In step 415, the terminal device may determine the current presentationspeed of the content item. The content item may be presented at anormal/baseline presentation speed (e.g., 1× presentation speed), whichmay occur, for example, if the user presses a ‘play’ button on theterminal device or remote control device. The content item may also bepresented at slower presentation speeds (e.g., 0.5×, etc.) or fasterpresentation speeds (e.g., 2×, 3×, 4.5×, etc.). These presentationspeeds may occur if the user presses a ‘slow motion’ button (e.g., for0.5× speed), ‘fast forward’ or ‘skip’ buttons (e.g., for 2×, 3×, 4.5×,etc. speeds), or any other buttons on the terminal device or remotecontrol device.

In step 420, the terminal device may identify one or more trigger eventsexpected to occur in the future and estimate the presentation time(s)for the trigger events. As previously discussed, trigger events mayinclude an advertisement, such as a television commercial, expected (orotherwise scheduled) to be presented during presentation of a videoprogram, such as a television program. Alternatively, trigger events mayinclude placement of a product during presentation of the video program.For example, if a particular brand of soda appears at minute 16 of thevideo program (or a song plays back at that time), the trigger event maybe the appearance of the soda (or the playing of the song). In someaspects, marks (e.g., tags) may be included with the video program toidentify the location of product placements. Trigger events may alsoinclude events included on the user's calendar (e.g., GOOGLE calendar,OUTLOOK calendar, or other electronic calendar) or on the calendar of aperson associated with the user, such as a friend. The calendar eventsmay correspond to scheduled activities for the user and/or friend. Forexample, the calendar entry may indicate that the user and the user'sfriend plan to watch a television program together on Tuesday at 7:00PM. Accordingly, Tuesday at 7:00 PM may comprise the time of the triggerevent. If the trigger event was previously defined in the configurationstep 305, the terminal device may identify the trigger event byretrieving the information stored during the configuration step. Thepresentation time of the commercial may correspond to the start time ofthe commercial, at a predetermined time before the state of thecommercial, in the middle of the commercial, at the end time of thecommercial, at the start of the video program after presentation of thecommercial ends, etc.

In some embodiments, the terminal device may estimate the presentationtime of the next commercial by retrieving data from a database ofcontent items associated with or otherwise similar to the content itemaccessed by the terminal device. For example, the content item maycomprise an episode of a television program and the database may storedata describing previous episodes of the same television program,including the start and end times of commercials presented during thoseprevious episodes. FIG. 6 shows a graphical representation 600 of aprevious episode 605 having commercials. FIG. 6 shows four commercials,such as a first commercial C1 (610), a second commercial C2 (615), athird commercial C3 (620), and a fourth commercial C4 (625).

The four commercials, C1-C4 (610-625), may have been presented during a30 minute episode of the television program (e.g., a previous episode).For example, the commercial C1 (610) may have started 48 seconds intothe television program (e.g., following the opening scenes and/or recapof previous episode(s)), the commercial C2 (615) may have started 9minutes and 24 seconds into the program, the commercial C3 (620) mayhave started 13 minutes into the program, and the commercial C4 (620)may have started 28 minutes and 2 seconds into the program (e.g., beforethe credits and/or end scenes). If the user is 30 seconds into thecurrently presented episode of the television program, the terminaldevice may estimate (in step 420) that the next trigger event (e.g., thestart of the next commercial) will occur 48 seconds into the currentepisode, based on the start time of the commercial C1 (610) in theprevious episode. If data for more than one previous episode is used,the average start time of the commercial C1 (610) may be used as theestimate for the current episode. For example, the commercial C1 (610)in a different previous episode may have started 54 seconds into theprogram. The terminal device may estimate that the start of the nextcommercial in the current episode will occur 51 seconds into the currentepisode, based on the average start time of the commercials in the twoprevious episodes. The database may similarly store the length and/orend time of each of the commercials C1-C4 (610-625). Similar data may bestored for many previous episodes (e.g., 5 episodes, 30 episodes, 100episodes, etc.).

Databases may similarly store data for other types of programs, such asminiseries and movies. For example, if the video program is the finalmovie in a trilogy of movies, the database may store data describing thefirst two movies in the trilogy including commercial times. Otherclassifications may be used to identify similar content items for thedatabase, such as genre, cast members, directors, writers, and/or acombination thereof. For example, if the video program currently beingpresented by the terminal device is an action movie starring BruceWillis, the database may store data (e.g., commercial times) describingother action movies starring Bruce Willis.

In step 425, the terminal device may determine a confidence factor foreach estimated presentation time of the next trigger event. The terminaldevice may rely on the database of similar content items described aboveto determine the confidence factor. For example, assume that commercialC1 (610) has started 48 seconds or earlier into the program, in only 5%of the previous episodes. The confidence that the first commercial inthe currently presented episode will occur 48 seconds into the episodeis 5%. Similarly, if commercial C1 (610) has started in 20% of theprevious episodes 52 seconds or earlier into the program, the confidencefactor may be 20%. If commercial C1 (610) has started in 40% of theprevious episodes 57 seconds or earlier into the program, the confidencefactor may be 40%. If commercial C1 (610) has started in 50% of theprevious episodes 60 seconds or earlier into the program, the confidencefactor may be 50%. And, if commercial C1 (610) has started in 100% ofthe previous episodes 75 seconds into the program, the confidence factormay be 100%.

Other factors may be used to determine confidence factors. These includethe typical (e.g., average) number of minutes of commercials relative tothe amount of time allotted the program. For example, a 30 minute timeslot may comprise, on average, 22 minutes of content and 8 minutes ofcommercials. Longer time slots (e.g., a 1 hour time slot) may scalesubstantially linearly or linearly (e.g., 44 minutes of content and 16minutes of commercials). Confidence may also be based on the typicallength of each commercial, which may depend on the content type. Forexample, the average length of a TV commercial may be 2 minutes, whereasthe average length of a movie commercial may be 3 minutes. Confidencemay also depend on how far into the program the user is and how manyminutes of commercials have been presented thus far. For example, assumethat the current presentation time is 21 minutes (in a 30 minute timeslot), and six minutes of commercials have been presented so far. Basedon an average of 8 minutes of commercials per 30 minute time slot, 2minutes of commercials may remain. The terminal device may determinethat the next expected commercial break is at the 25 minute mark with ahigh confidence (e.g., 50% or greater confidence) because only a fewminutes of the program remain and two of those minutes should beallocated to the commercial(s).

In step 430, the terminal device may determine the next time for theremote control device to listen for data from the terminal device orother terminal devices. In some aspects, the current presentationposition, presentation speed, estimate of the presentation position ofthe next trigger event, and the confidence factor may be used to makethis determination, according to the following algorithm:

${{Time}\mspace{14mu} {to}\mspace{14mu} {Listen}} = \frac{\begin{matrix}{\left( {\left( {{Estimate}\mspace{14mu} {of}\mspace{14mu} {Trigger}\mspace{14mu} {Event}} \right) - \left( {{Current}\mspace{14mu} {playback}\mspace{14mu} {postition}} \right)} \right) \times} \\\left( {1 - {{Confidence}\mspace{14mu} {Factor}}} \right)\end{matrix}}{{Playback}\mspace{14mu} {Speed}}$

As previously discussed, if the program is being presented at normalspeed (e.g., 1×), the presentation speed factor may be 1. Similarly, ifthe program is being presented at a higher speed (e.g., 2×), thepresentation speed factor may be higher (e.g., 2), and if the program isbeing presented at a slower speed (e.g., 0.5×), the presentation speedfactor may be lower (e.g., 0.5). As a result, the higher thepresentation speed, the sooner the Time to Listen will be. The lower thepresentation speed, the later the Time to Listen will be. The followingtable provides example calculations of the Time to Listen for a remotecontrol device where the presentation speed is 1 and the currentpresentation position is 30 seconds into the program. Each estimate forthe trigger event time may comprise a different confidence factor.

TABLE 1 Estimate of Time to Listen Trigger from current time / Eventfrom program start (seconds) Calculation time (seconds) 48$\frac{\left( {48 - 30} \right) \times \left( {1 - 0.05} \right)}{1}$17.1/47.1 52$\frac{\left( {52 - 30} \right) \times \left( {1 - 0.20} \right)}{1}$17.6/47.6 57$\frac{\left( {57 - 30} \right) \times \left( {1 - 0.40} \right)}{1}$16.2/46.2 60$\frac{\left( {60 - 30} \right) \times \left( {1 - 0.50} \right)}{1}$15.0/45.0

One of these results may be used as the next time for the remote controldevice to listen for data. For example, the second standard deviationwhere 5% of the commercials C1 (610) have started (e.g., an estimate of48 seconds for the next trigger event) may be used. In other words, theremote control device may be instructed to listen for data 17.1 secondsfrom the current time (or 47.1 seconds into the video program/timeslot). The first standard deviation or third standard deviation maysimilarly be used. Any of the other Times to Listen may be selected. Forexample, the soonest Time to Listen (e.g., 15 seconds from the currenttime) may be used so that there will be a greater chance that the nexttime to listen will occur prior to the start of the next commercial. ATime to Listen may also be derived from more than one of the calculatedTimes to Listen. For example, the terminal device may take the averageof the four calculated Times to Listen, resulting in a Time to Listen of16.5 seconds from the current time (or 46.5 seconds into the videoprogram/time slot).

In alternative embodiments, the terminal device may select the Time toListen to correspond to the earliest start time of the commercial C1(610) in the database or a predetermined time prior to the start time.For example, the Time to Listen may be 43 seconds if the earliest starttime for the commercial C1 (610) in all previous episodes is 43 secondsinto the program or a predetermined time prior to the start time (e.g.,38 seconds into the program if the predetermined time is 5 seconds).

In yet additional embodiments, the start time of a commercial for thevideo program currently being accessed may be known ahead of time. Forexample, the commercial presentation times may be known in apre-recorded (e.g., non-live) video program. In these embodiments, theterminal device may set the Time to Listen to the start time of thescheduled advertisement, a predetermined time prior to the start time(e.g., 1 second before), or a predetermined time after the start time(e.g., 2 seconds after). If the presentation times for more than onecommercial are known, the terminal device may set multiple Times toListen, one for each of the known commercial times. The terminal devicemay transmit the multiple Times to Listen to the remote control device(e.g., as metadata) as will be described in further detail with respectto step 445 below. In this example, the remote control device might onlyneed to listen for data (or poll for data) from the terminal device justonce for each pre-recorded program. The remote control device may stillkeep its clock synchronized with the terminal device and/or trackpresentation speed changes, as will be discussed in further detail inthe examples below.

In step 435, the terminal device may determine whether the determinedTime to Listen is below a predetermined threshold, which may be, forexample, anywhere between 1 and 3 seconds from the current time. If theTime to Listen is below the threshold (step 435: Y), the terminaldevice, in step 440, may transmit a command to the remote control deviceto remain in the active state because the trigger event is expected tooccur very soon and/or to prevent the remote control device fromexcessively switching between the active and standby states. If, on theother hand, the Time to Listen is not below the threshold (step 435: N),the terminal device, in step 445, may transmit the Time to Listendetermined in step 430 to the remote control device. Optionally, theterminal device may transmit, with the command in step 440 or Time toListen in step 445, action(s) that the remote control device should takethe next time it listens for data or enters the active state (e.g.,illuminate a backlight, display an advertisement, etc.).

FIG. 5 illustrates an example method of listening for data from theterminal device at the determined next time to listen according to oneor more illustrative aspects of the disclosure. The steps illustrated inFIG. 5 may be performed by the remote control device or other userdevice. In step 505, the remote control device may receive the dataidentifying the next time for the remote control device to listen fordata. In step 510, the remote control device may optionally store theTime to Listen data in memory. In step 515, the remote control devicemay return to the standby state after storing the Time to Listen data(e.g., immediately after storage or a predetermined time thereafter,such as 2 seconds).

In step 520, the remote control device may determine whether the nexttime to listen has been reached. For example, the remote control devicemay compare the Time to Listen to an internal system clock in the remotecontrol device. If the Time to Listen has not been reached, in step 525,the remote control device may determine whether the remote controldevice has been used, such as by a user/viewer. The remote controldevice may repeat steps 520 and 525 (in any order) until the Time toListen has been reached or the remote control device has been used. Forexample, the user may issue a command from the remote control devicebefore the Time to Listen is reached (step 525: Y), or the Time toListen may be reached before any user activity occurs (step 520: Y). Insome embodiments, if the user presses a button that changes thepresentation speed of the program (e.g., fast forward, rewind, skip,play, etc.), the terminal device may perform one or more of the stepsillustrated in FIG. 4 using the new presentation speed to recalculatethe time for the remote control device to listen for data.

In step 530, the remote control device may initiate the active state inresponse to the Time to Listen being reached or in response to useractivity on the remote control. As previously described, when the remotecontrol device enters the active state, the remote control device maylisten for data from terminal devices (e.g., by turning on or otherwiseactivating a receiver or transceiver), illuminate backlights, or performother actions. Additionally or alternatively, the remote control devicemay poll for information from the terminal device instead of passivelylistening for data during the active state (e.g., send a request forinformation to the terminal device and receive a message back). Insteadof immediately performing these actions in response to entering theactive state, the remote control device may optionally perform steps 535and/or 540.

In step 535, the remote control device may determine whether theexpected trigger event occurred. For example, if the trigger event isthe start of a commercial, and the commercial has begun when the remotecontrol device enters the active state, the remote control device maydetermine that the expected trigger event occurred (step 535: Y). Inresponse to determining that the trigger event occurred, the remotecontrol device, in step 540, may perform the actions noted above,including illuminating backlights, listening for data, displayinginformation based on data received from terminal devices, etc. Theseactions may have previously been stored during the configuration step305.

Several exemplary actions that the remote control device mayperform/enable will now be described. One or more backlights on theremote control device, such as backlights for certain buttons, may beilluminated when a commercial begins to play. For example, one or moreof the backlights for the fast forward button, the electronic programguide button, the number pad, volume button(s), the mute buttons, and/orthe channel up/down button(s) may be illuminated. Illuminating the fastforward button allows the user to easily identify the fast forwardbutton in order to advance through the commercial. Illuminating theelectronic program guide button, the number pad, and/or the channelup/down button(s) allows the user to easily browse or navigate betweenchannels during the commercial. Illuminating the volume buttons or mutebutton allows the user to turn down the volume during the commercial (orup if the user is interested in the commercial). Backlights for otherbuttons that the user is not expected to use during commercials, such asthe power button, the settings button, and/or the play button, might notbe illuminated (or may be kept at a dimmer setting or use a differentcolor than the buttons that the user is expected to use). A microphoneused to receive voice commands from users may also be activated in step540.

The remote control device may have an integrated display or may beconnected to a separate display, including a touchscreen display device.During the active state, the remote control device may listen for datafrom terminal devices, and the data may comprise information forrendering content on the display of the remote control device. Thecontent may comprise advertisement data that corresponds to or otherwisesupplements the advertisement displayed by the terminal device (or otherplayback device). For example, if the commercial displayed by theterminal device is car commercial, supplemental information received byand displayed on the remote control device display may comprise a map oflocal car dealerships selling that brand of car or a gift for testdriving the brand of car (e.g., a $50 gift card if the user tests drivethe car).

If the trigger event corresponds to product placement duringpresentation of the video program, the remote control device may receiveand display information corresponding to that product (e.g., a link topurchase the product, an advertisement of the product, a coupon for theproduct, etc.). For example, if soda brand A appears during a televisionshow, the remote control device may receive, from a terminal device,information for rendering, on the display of the remote control device,a coupon (or other discount) for purchasing soda brand A products.Alternatively or additionally, the remote control device may display aninterface for interacting with the advertisement presented by theterminal device if the advertisement and/or terminal device isconfigured for interactivity (e.g., an interactive television, program,or advertisement). For example, the interface may give the user theoption to purchase the advertised product or service (e.g., a link or QRcode to a website to purchase the product, text boxes for receivingpayment information, such as credit card information, text boxes toreceive an email address, a button to sign up for a particular service,and the like). The remote control device may also display a link to anapp in an application store or cause the link or other informationrelated to the advertised product or service to be displayed in socialmedia (e.g., FACEBOOK, TWITTER, etc.) if the user has tied his or hersocial media account to the service described herein.

If the trigger event corresponds to a calendar entry (e.g., if the userof the remote control device and a friend have scheduled to watch avideo program together), the remote control device may display thecalendar entry or a message corresponding to the calendar entry. Anexample message may state: “According to your calendar, you and Tommyplan to watch Movie A together in 5 minutes (7:00 PM).” Additionally oralternatively, the remote control device may interact with anotherdevice, such as a camera at the user's front door. For example, a livecamera feed from the front door camera may be streamed to the remotecontrol device and displayed on the remote control device when thefriend is expected to arrive to watch the video program with the user.

The information displayed on the remote control device display need notsupplement or correspond to the commercial displayed by the terminaldevice. For example, the remote control device could display a secondcommercial that is unrelated to the one displayed by the terminaldevice. As another example, the remote control device could display anEPG, allowing the user to navigate the EPG on the remote control devicewithout disrupting presentation of the commercial by the terminaldevice. The remote control device could also display content thatsupplements the video program, such as extra features content orwebisode content, during presentation of the commercial or the videoprogram.

In some aspects, the terminal device and/or remote control device mayinteract with other devices in the home in the active state. Forexample, if lights in a living room are connected to the same network asthe terminal device and/or remote control device, one of these devicescould issue a command to the lights to illuminate or brighten duringpresentation of the commercial. The terminal device and/or remotecontrol device may interact with a video camera at the user's home(e.g., at the front door). For example, if a friend is expected toarrive at the user's home at the time of the trigger event, the videocamera at the user's front door may transmit a live camera feed to bedisplayed on the remote control device.

Instead of corresponding to the beginning of the commercial, the triggerevent may correspond to the end of the commercial. The end of thecommercial may be predicted in a similar manner as that described abovefor predicting the start of the commercial. Alternatively, the end ofthe commercial may be predicted based on the predicted start time of thecommercial and adding on the expected length of the commercial (e.g., 2minutes, 3 minutes, etc.). If the trigger event is the end of thecommercial, the opposite of the actions previously discussed may beperformed. For example, after the commercial ends, the backlights thatwere illuminated during the commercial may be turned off or dimmed.Backlights for other buttons that the user may be expected to use whilewatching the program (e.g., volume buttons, display settings buttons)may be illuminated or kept illuminated if already illuminated. Theinformation displayed on the remote control device display may beremoved when the commercial on the terminal device ends. Alternatively,the information may be left on the remote control device or newinformation may be displayed on the remote control device when theprogram begins. For example, in some instances, users may have missedthe commercial displayed by the terminal device, so the commercial (or asimpler version of the commercial, such as a web link, a banneradvertisement, an image, etc.) may persist on the remote control devicefor a predetermined amount of time after the commercial on the terminaldevice ends (e.g., thirty seconds).

If the trigger event did not occur (step 535: N) and/or after performingthe actions in step 540, the remote control device may return to step325 and listen for data from the terminal device. Listening may beperformed before, during, or after the actions (in step 540) areperformed. If, for example, the trigger event did not occur, theterminal device may perform one or more of the steps illustrated in FIG.4 to recalculate the next time the remote control device should listenfor data. Each time the terminal device recalculates the Time to Listen,the confidence factor may increase and the interval between the currenttime and the time to the next commercial may decrease. This may causethe remote control device to listen for information more frequently(e.g., every 5-10 seconds). However, as previously described withrespect to step 435, there may be a threshold (e.g., 1-3 seconds) thatprevents the remote control device from transitioning between the activestate and the standby state too frequently. Furthermore, incrementalactions may be taken by the remote control device each time it listensfor data and/or enters the active state. For example, as the terminaldevice gets closer to displaying the commercial and the remote controldevice starts to poll more frequently, the backlight could start off dimand slowly get brighter, peaking when the commercial actually starts(e.g., step 535: Y). A similar dimming action could be performed if thetrigger event is the end of the commercial. The slope of the brighteningand/or dimming may also correlate to the confidence factor previouslydescribed. For example, the backlight may transition more quickly froman off state to a certain level of brightness (e.g., 80%) if theconfidence is high and more slowly if the confidence is low. On theother hand, if the trigger event did occur (step 535: Y), the terminaldevice may perform one or more of the steps illustrated in FIG. 4 toestimate a time for the next commercial to be displayed and acorresponding time for the remote control device to listen for data.

The various features described above are merely non-limiting examples,and can be rearranged, combined, subdivided, omitted, and/or altered inany desired manner. For example, features of the computing device(including the remote control device and the terminal device) describedherein can be subdivided among multiple processors and computingdevices. The true scope of this patent should only be defined by theclaims that follow.

1. A method comprising: receiving, by a communication device and from acomputing device, a time to switch from a standby state to an activestate, receiving, by the communication device and from the computingdevice, a time to switch from the active state to the standby state;activating, by the communication device and based on the time to switchfrom the standby state to the active state, one or more microphones toreceive voice commands while in the active state; and deactivating, bythe communication device and based on the time to switch from the activestate to the standby state, the one or more microphones.
 2. The methodof claim 1, further comprising: prior to the receiving the time toswitch from the standby state to the active state, sending, to thecomputing device, a request for the time to switch from a standby stateto an active state; and prior to the receiving the time to switch fromthe active state to the standby state, sending, to the computing device,a request for the time to switch from the active state to the standbystate.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving the informationcomprises: receiving, from the computing device, an indication of acontent item being output, wherein the time to switch from the standbystate to the active state, and the time to switch from the active stateto the standby state, are based in part on an event occurring duringoutput of the content item.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein thecommunication device is configured, in the active state, to monitor fordata from one or more of the computing device or a display device. 5.The method of claim 1, wherein the time to switch from the standby stateto the active state comprises a start time of an advertisement occurringduring output of the content item, and the method further comprises: atthe time to switch from the standby state to the active state,receiving, from the computing device, advertisement data thatsupplements the advertisement; and displaying, by the communicationdevice and based on the advertisement data, a supplementaladvertisement.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: at the timeto switch from the standby state to the active state, receiving, fromthe computing device, an instruction to illuminate one or morebacklights of the communication device, wherein the one or morebacklights indicate that the one or more microphones of thecommunication device are active.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein thecommunication device comprises at least one of a device configured tofunction as a two-way remote control or a mobile phone configured tocontrol presentation of content.
 8. A method comprising: sending, by acommunication device and to a computing device, an indication of a voicecommand detected via a microphone of the communication device;receiving, from the computing device, and based on the sending of theindication of the voice command, an instruction for the communicationdevice to switch from a standby state to an active state, wherein thecommunication device is configured, in the active state, to send data tothe computing device or receive data from the computing device; andafter the receiving the instruction for the communication device toswitch from the standby state to the active state, sending, to thecomputing device, the voice command.
 9. The method of claim 8, furthercomprising: receiving, in the active state and from the computingdevice, supplemental advertisement data corresponding to anadvertisement occurring during output of a content item; and displaying,by the communication device and based on the supplemental advertisementdata, a supplemental advertisement via a display of the communicationdevice.
 10. The method of claim 8, wherein the communication devicecomprises at least one of a device configured to function as a two-wayremote control or a mobile phone configured to control presentation ofcontent.
 11. A method comprising: receiving, by a user device, anindication of at least a start of a time period for the user device tolisten for data from a computing device, wherein the time periodcomprises one or more of a start time of an advertisement or an end timeof an advertisement, and wherein the advertisement is scheduled to beoutput by the computing device; switching, during the time period, froma standby state to an active state; and activating, in the active state,one or more receivers of the user device for listening for data.
 12. Themethod of claim 11, further comprising: while the user device islistening for data from the computing device, receiving, from thecomputing device, advertisement data corresponding to the advertisement;and causing output, using the advertisement data, of a secondadvertisement on a display of the user device.
 13. The method of claim11, further comprising: illuminating, while in the active state andbased on an instruction received from the computing device during thetime period, one or more backlights of the user device.
 14. The methodof claim 13, wherein the one or more backlights correspond to one ormore of: a fast forward button; an electronic program guide button; anumber pad; a volume button; a mute button; a channel up button; or achannel down button.
 15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:causing, while in the active state and based on an instruction receivedfrom the computing device during the time period, vibration of avibration motor of the user device.
 16. The method of claim 11, furthercomprising: deactivating, while in the standby state, the one or morereceivers.
 17. The method of claim 11, wherein the computing devicecomprises a terminal device.
 18. The method of claim 11, furthercomprising: after the receiving the indication of the time period,receiving, from the computing device, an instruction for the user deviceto stop listening for data; and switching, after the receiving theinstruction for the user device to stop listening for data, from theactive state to the standby state.
 19. The method of claim 18, whereinthe switching from the active state to the standby state comprisesdeactivating the one or more receivers.
 20. The method of claim 11,further comprising: receiving, during the time period and from thecomputing device, an instruction to display a countdown of a remainingtime for the advertisement; and causing output of the countdown on adisplay of the user device.